Are you ready for some Facebooking?
Facebook is reportedly testing a way for people to search for posts within your profile. You will only be able to search for posts that you can already see on your Timeline.
Think of this feature as a bit like Google, right on your Facebook page. You’d be able to search for key words like “dog,” “girls’ night,” and “sunrise.” However, consider that your employer would also be able to search for things like “drinking,” “party,” and “call in,” depending on your privacy settings.
Facebook told Mashable that it will be a small pilot program in the U.S. for iPhone and desktop users wanting an easier way to search for posts within a person’s profile.
Only a handful will get the feature
The feature will be somewhat limited in nature, as it will only show up for a select group of people who are in the pilot program. Once the pilot program ends, Facebook will evaluate it based on the users’ feedback. There doesn’t seem to be a plan for an official launch, but we can assume if the pilot program goes well, there will be announcement to follow.
This program is intriguing as the feedback and feature-launch could change the way people use and post to Facebook; especially if they know anything they post can be searched for at a later date. Sure, you can dig out this information on your own now, but it takes time. With the added “search” feature, you’d be able to bring the information up in a matter of seconds: instant gratification.
This is great if you want to find a picture you posted, but not so great if you don’t want all your information visible and searchable.
While this feature could prove extremely useful for users who want to revisit their Facebook moments, it should also serve as a reminder to check and re-check your Facebook privacy settings. Make sure they jive with who you want to see your content and remember: you can always select an audience for individual posts. What do you think? Will you use the new “search” feature if it does indeed launch?
#FacebookSearch
Jennifer Walpole is a Senior Staff Writer at The American Genius and holds a Master's degree in English from the University of Oklahoma. She is a science fiction fanatic and enjoys writing way more than she should. She dreams of being a screenwriter and seeing her work on the big screen in Hollywood one day.
